Local road crew worker injured while cutting fallen tree (video)

By Mercury staff

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

(Updated at 1:36 p.m.) Chester County has announced “Governor Corbett has extended the deadline for absentee ballot applications one day for each day the county closed due to Hurricane Sandy,” according to a posting on its website.

Chester County will reopen its offices on Wednesday. “..absentee ballot applications will be accepted in our office until 5p.m. on Thursday, November 1, 2012. All voted ballots must be received by 5p.m. on Friday November 2, 2012,” the county noted in its post.

(UPDATED at 1:18) LOWER POTTSGROVE — A township road crew member cutting a tree stuck on power lines on Orlando Road was taken by ambulance after the tension on the power line shifted the tree, and the tree struck him, sources confirm.

The identity of the worker was not immediately available, though sources confirmed the man was conscious at the scene.

Check back for updates.(Updated at 11:08 a.m.) POTTSTOWN — Numerous power outages and downed trees are making travel dangerous this morning after Hurricane Sandy blew through the area. Route 100 is closed in several locations due to wires including at Pughtown Road, Route 23, Prizer and Flowing Springs roads in Chester County and Route 73 in Montgomery County.

The Perkiomen Creek is rising fast and is expected to crest later this morning.

In a press conference Tuesday morning, Gov. Tom Corbett asked residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary, though this did not stop a crowd of people from lining up for coffee and donuts at the Pottstown Dunkin Donuts on East High Street.

Around 9 a.m., the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation lifted speed limit restrictions on most major highways in the state except for Interstate 90 and 79 in the northwest. The remains of Tropical storm Sandy were slowly heading northwest toward the Great Lakes Tuesday morning.

Vehicle restrictions were also lifted including the Delaware River Bridge and the Fort Washington interchange. Certain types of vehicles, including tractor-trailers and motorcycles, were restricted from traveling major highways in the state Monday afternoon due to high winds.

PennDOT advised motorists to “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” as water levels on area rivers and creeks were expected to rise throughout the day and flood some areas.

“Motorists are reminded that under state law, motorists who drive around or through signs or traffic control devices closing a road or highway due to hazardous conditions will have two points added to their driving records and be fined up to $250. If the violation results in a need for emergency responders to be called, the fine is increased to between $250 and $500. In addition, violators will be held liable for repaying the costs of staging the emergency response,” read a press release from PennDOT.

More than 400 Pennsylvania roads are closed as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Chizmar says road crews are dealing Tuesday with obstacles including fallen trees and washed-out bridges. Many road closures in the Pottstown area were caused by downed wires and trees.

A Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission spokeswoman said Tuesday the storm is in the top three ever in outages, ranking with hurricanes Agnes in 1972 and Floyd in 1999.

PECO spokeswoman Liz Williamson says the outages are a record for the utility, exceeding the peak of 520,000 during a January 1994 ice storm. She says it has restored power to 230,000 other customers since yesterday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(Updated 10:20 a.m.) POTTSTOWN — Route 100 is closed at Pughtown Road in South Coventry at 10 a.m. Tuesday due to downed wires.

North Charlotte Street is closed at Oaks Street in Pottstown due to downed wires as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.

EARLIER VERSION:POTTSTOWN — The fierce winds and constant rains from Hurricane Sandy led to isolated destruction in the tricounty area as trees came down Monday night into Tuesday. On Beech Street in Pottstown, a tree landed on a car parked along the road. Elsewhere in the borough, a tree hit a house on Park Court near North Roland Avenue, causing residents of the home to be evacuated.

Several area roads were closed Tuesday morning while road crews worked to clear debris and fallen trees such as at the intersection of Congo-Niantic and Niantic Road outside Barto, Berks County.

Power outages were affecting 175,000 PECO customers in Montgomery County and 74,000 customers in Chester County as of 8 a.m. Tuesday. PECO reported it restored power as of 6 a.m. Tuesday to more than 243,000 customers in the Philadelphia region. More than half a million people in the region were without power Tuesday morning.

MetEd reported more than 67,000 customers in Berks County were without power Tuesday. Around 5,000 of its customers in Montgomery County were in the dark. Both power companies had called in additional help from out of state prior to the hurricane to prepare for the widespread disruption of service and crews were working to restore power as the remaining rains from Sandy came down on the tricounty area.

Flooding after the storm is the next issue to present itself to area residents. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s water data website, The Perkiomen Creek at Graterford was expected to reach flood level later today. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the river was gauged at 7 feet with flood stage at 11 feet. The Schuylkill River in Pottstown was at 9 feet, the Manatawny Creek was close to 6 feet and the West Branch of the Perkiomen was gauged at 3.49 feet with flood stage at 5 feet.